1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to dial-up sessions for transferring data across a wireless network between computing configurations. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods and computer executable instructions for creating numeric dialing strings facilitating the wireless network dial-up session. Even more specifically, the present invention relates to creating dialing strings useful when calling and transferring data across a cellular wireless network in which enhanced services cellular modem pools are available.
2. The Relevant Technology
In a data communications environment, data is transferred between computing configurations, such as from a sender to a receiver, via a transmission medium during a dial-up session. Often times, a portion of the transmission medium is a phone line and the transfer requires the dialing of a numeric string of numbers at the sender's end in order to establish the connection. As this numeric string is used during dialing, it is sometimes referred to as a dialing string. The dial-up process becomes even more complicated when the sender's end is using a wireless transceiver attached to a modem to transfer the data. The wireless transmission medium may require additional alterations to the standard numeric dialing string.
A modem connection over a wireless network, particularly a cellular wireless network, is nearly unusable unless the modem on the other end of the connection is also using a wireless modem communication protocol. For example, when a user wants to request a wireless connection, the user generally connects their notebook computer, PDA, or other computing configuration to their wireless transceiver. Next the user develops a dialing string and dials the destination location. Once the user connects across the wireless network, error correction, special long delay timing, and signal shaping are required, especially with cellular analog transmissions. Typically, cellular transmissions will be considerably slower than the modem or transceiver's functional capability, leaving the user trying to transfer data at archaic data transfer rates. Similar problems arise in the digital realm with transmission delays and other error correcting protocols lowering the actual wireless connection rate from the peak data transfer rate, although not as dramatically as with cellular connections.
To solve this problem wireless service providers, particularly cellular service providers, often offer wireless computer users a more efficient means of transferring data. Namely wireless users are allowed to connect into the service providers modem pool before connecting with the wireless user's true destination location. The method of providing the end user with an optimal means of transmitting data is referred to within this application as providing enhanced services. Enhanced services often require the wireless user to add a dialing prefix like "*data" (*3282) or "#data" (#3282) to the original dialing string. Unfortunately, these enhanced service prefixes vary from location to location. For example, an appropriate enhanced services prefix in New York City, may not work in San Francisco. Often the wireless user must contact the service provider directly to obtain the necessary prefix information, which may be difficult if the wireless user is away from a familiar environment. Still other wireless areas do not yet offer enhanced services. What is needed is a system that can provide the wireless user with the appropriate dialing prefix to allow for an enhanced services connection when such a connection is available.
Access to these enhanced services is often only allowed after the appropriate billing information, such as an account number, is appended to the originally formulated dialing string. The fee-based enhanced services system may also request credit card numbers, pre-approved account numbers, or other means of direct electronic payment. The addition of all these numbers make it very difficult for the wireless user to make a high speed wireless connection. What is needed is a method and system that can create a dialing string capable of making a high speed connection, without substantial user intervention.
As previously described, under existing enhanced services systems a wireless user actually calls a service provider's modem pool and the service providers modem pool contacts the desired destination location. This method increases the connect rate substantially and enhances the users throughput creating a better overall experience for the user. Wireless transceiver networks have installed banks of modems to provide the service, but unfortunately they are difficult to find and connect to. There are a number of special requirements for dialing on various wireless networks, such as providing an encoded credit card number or personal identification number (PIN). Many of the access codes for enhanced services change based on the origination location of the wireless call and the service provider. What is needed is a method of providing these access codes in the dialing string without substantial user intervention.
Typically, a dialing string of numbers includes some or all of the following: a wireless data prefix like "*data" or "#data", extra digits required to dial from one country to another or to dial locally which could result, for example with a five-digit wireless data prefix; a seven-digit phone number; a thee-digit area code; a fourteen to sixteen-digit billing number; a delay or pause code for causing a delay between the phone number and billing information numbers, and any other numbers, such as "9," to access a line "outside" of the building or exchange in which the sender is located.
When the sender is dialing from a familiar environment, the actual dialing string used during a dial-up session is often programmed into computer memory and is usually dialed without incident. In an unfamiliar environment, as is generally the case with a wireless connection, the formulation or creation of the actual dialing string can often be quite problematic. For example, many times, the delay codes, the enhanced services prefix, the outside access line codes, etc., are unknown to the sender. As such, the sender must exercise trial and error methodologies until the communications link for transferring the data can be established. Adversely, this process requires valuable time and can result in failure to establish a connection, resulting in lost business.
While many foreign countries have implemented digital wireless systems and may therefore efficiently exchange digital data, non-digital systems such as analog (AMPS) systems are commonplace. In those areas which do allow wireless data transfers there are additional fees imposed on the wireless user. Billing information numbers, that affect the length and sequence of the dialing string, are often also implicated as senders are billed for data transfers when dialing from countries other than the credit cards' country of origin. As such, this can cause frustration to the wireless user and tremendously lengthen the time it takes to establish a communications link.
Prior approaches have been taken that attempt to assist users in overcoming the foregoing frustrations and problems. Such attempts have heretofore resulted in little more than a presentation of options to be selected by users to facilitate the dial-up session. An example of such an option includes choices provided to users such as whether the outside access line code is a numeral "9" or a "0" or a "1," etc. The users then fill in a blank with the appropriate numeral. This, however, presupposes the user's awareness of the appropriate numeral. This does little, if anything, to help users in actually creating or formulating the dialing string when the user is unaware of the numeric values that should be included. As can be imagined, this confusion is greatly enhanced when a variable wireless prefix for data transmissions is introduced into the dialing string. Previous attempts to solve this problem included requiring the user to insert the dialing prefix in dialing strings by hand at the application level. Under this approach, every laptop dialing application that required wireless connectivity would have to be changed at each new location from which it was used.
It would be an advance to provide an improved approach for assembling a dialing string capable of selecting enhanced data services. Additionally, once a dialing string is dialed and used to try and establish a connection between a sender and receiver for the transfer of data, prior art software cease to provide useful assistance thereafter. For example, if the dialing string fails to establish the connection necessary for the dial-up session, the user is not informed as to whether it was failure of the dialing string or whether it was some other reason. Likewise, troubleshooting assistance and procedures for overcoming the failed connection are absent. With a wireless connection, where signal strength and reliability may be a major issue, troubleshooting and follow-on assistance would be important.
Accordingly, it would be an advance to provide users with means for formulating or creating numeric dialing strings for the wireless transfer of data. It would also be an advance to provide follow-on assistance in the event of failure while users are attempting to establish the wireless communications link necessary to transfer the data.